Guide-signal.



M. K. HIGGINBOTTOM.

GUIDE SIGNAL.

APPLxoATIoN FILED JAN.30,1913.

1,119,959. Patented Deo. 8, 1914.

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DATE P'ntnuE PAID NoTxca FDRMLEITFRI Jamo-lz nunmafwawn. j .l

55m-1a 55pm-fz WHITE 0u-, GREEN Nov -v RED UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MACK KAY HIGGINBOTTOM, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

GUIDE-SIGNAL.

Application filed January 30, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, MACK KAY HIGGIN- BoT'roM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in j Guide-Signals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the numbers of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in guide signals for use with filing and indexing cards and the like.

A large source of expense in the operation of mail order houses, insurance companies and instalment houses, has been found to be due to the loss in time occasioned by the expensive and complicated systems which have been found to be necessary in the past, for properly conducting the business to be transacted. Among other` things, it has been found very difficult, as well as expensive in the loss of time and otherwise, to maintain systems in which it is required that follow up or form collection letters be mailed at certain predetermined intervals.

It is an object of my invention to provide a guide signal which, when used for the purpose intended, will greatly reduce the ope`rating expenses of the systems now in vogue as well as materially increase their efficiency. It is an important object of this invention to provide a guide signal which may be adjusted to indicate the date that a followup letter', or other notice, is to be sent to a customer, and the particular kind or form of a follow-up letter or notice that is to be mailed at the indicated date, as well as the kind or form of the various inclosures, if any, that are to accompany the follow-up letters, notices, etc.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a guide signal which may be removably secured to the edge of a card.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a guide signal which shall be made up of a plurality of adjustable concentric interfitting circular disks and rings.

It is also an object of the invention to afford a construction wherein the disks and rings used will be held firmly in adjusted position. i

It is also an object of the invention to afford a construction wherein each of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

serial No. 745,066.

concentric interfitting rings used shall at all t1mes be held from lateral movement by means of lugs which are struck from one of the casingdisks.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a guide signal which may be readlly used and operated by one that has not had previous experience.

It is finally an object of this invention to provide a cheap, simple and durable guide signal which will be ellicicnt in operation as well as economical when in actual use.

The invention (in a preferred form) consists in the matters hereinafter described and more fully pointed outand defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a front elevation of a device embodying my invention, as it will appear when in use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged face view of the device. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the device with the face plate o-r casing removed. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line G--w of Fig. 2.`

As shown in the drawings: 1, indicates a central hub, which is provided with flanges 2 and 3, at its ends, adapted to engage a back plate l, face plate 5, and a relatively small intermediate disk 6, firmly therebetween.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 6, the back plate 4, is struck upwardly at points at different distances from the center of the same, to afi'ord a plurality of raised bearing members 7, 8, and 9, which may be arranged in radial alinement or in any other convenient manner. As shown in Fig. 4, the respective members 7, 8, and 8, 9, are spaced approximately equal distances apart and are so arranged that the rotatable rings 10 and 11, may be held in spaced position between the same.' A ring 12, having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said plates A and 5, is fitted over the bearing members 9, and bears against the same in the same manner that the rings 10 and 11, bear against the respective bearing members 7 and 8.

The face plate 5, is provided with a plurality of apertures or slots 12, and -is rigidly secured to the back plate 4, and against the raised bearing members 7, 8, and 9, by means of tongues 18, which'are struck from the base plate and extend through the apertures or slots 12a, in such a manner that the same may be bent to engage the outer face of said plates, as indicated in Fig. 5. The disk 6, and rings 10, 11 and l2,v

are characteristically marked to indicate the mailed, and the kind, nature or 'number of all inclosures previously mailed or .to be mailed. Thus the 'ring 12," is marked with consecutive numerals 1 to 31 to" indicate thel` days in the month; the ring 11 is marked tof' indicate the consecutive months, the'yea1", l the ring l0, is marked vwith thenumerals 1 to 9 inclusive, to indicatethe'rnu'mber or1N kind of form letter oril notice'previously" mailed or to be `mailedfand the:fdisk `6, marked in variousy colors, suchf asiwhite, green,

red, blue, yellow and blackfto indicate thge" kind or nature and :number ofall inclosures" i Card; ill." thi"sfinstall???v th rst 'instalment previously mailed or'to lbe 'm'ailed.""A peripheral recess or notch is (provided against each character markedfupenithe members topndicate thataot'ewa t .bem'aled 9 fhellistemef"hnlAugUSt115th; and the 6, 10, 11 and 12.

As shown in Fig. 2, theface plate 5 provided witha radial slot 1 5,y which eX?` tends outwardly from a point near thefcenter to the periphery of thesame,andas'v of a i width which willnot permit the display ofy more than one character'on eachv of the recess 16, on 'each side ofsaid :radial slot so" that the point of a pin orl other sharp in strumentmay be engagedfin the'fnotche/s 17, to rotate the ring 12, to turn anyone 'of theV I v p the talment is" notfjp'aid ,before Sept.

lthstheiform ltter'indicat'ed .by the fig- 1 thirty-one characters into view., Relatively narrow lslots 18 and '19," are similarly profify vided in the face of said faceplate and afford access to the notches 1 7, l'in'v the rings 10 and 11 respectively. The faceplate is" vstruck outwardly to alord'two parallel resili' entngers 20,l and v21 adaptedtcjfengage over the upper edge of card and hold the guide signal rmly in the 'properposi- Y tion, as indicated in Fig. 1.

lThe customers card A, shown in Fig. 1,in

connection with the guide'sig'nal embodying; my invention, illustrates a convenient'fman ner in which instalment ,accounts and payments may be recorded. indicated by iS, pIO-g;

this card, the column under. 'Datef vided for the date of the sale.; the column" under F Pmt due l is reserved for the `ldates that the instalments are due ;7 'themfcolumn under Paymnt is providedffor "the dates that instalments are paid;V the'coluinnunder' Notice is provided to indicatev the vdates that notices kof unpaid instalments'h'ave been previously mailed or are to bemail'ed. to the customers, as well as showing 'the kind "f or form of such notices; thev columnfunder p Form Letter is provided t0 notolly indicate the type of form letters previously mailed (or to be mailed) to the customer to remir1d-himythat he has failed t0 Pay I1- stalments as agreed at the time of sale, but

can further indicate the kind or nature of 7( all inclosures, previously mailed or to be y mailed.

The operation is as follows: After the guide'signalhas been assembled as has been previously described, `it is engaged upon the 7 [cally or' alphabetically. Before the" card is s.

'place I the tile, however, the guide signal ris'adjulstedjto indicate thejdatethat a form notice is to befmailed to the cusj',tourerni'thelevent' `0f "his failure to pay 'the"first finst'alinentj before fifteen days after 8 the"'datefdueijsiindiiated by said account fwa's due" on* August 1st, l1912], and accordingly `the rings 121V and 1l, fwere adjusted disk l-OSWS. ,adjusted t0. display; e figure 'indicate the particular form nd the` disk" 6," to display a however,' the first instalment was paid August 15, -a1fld` the neXt" lpayment,

the 1st day September, the "signal wasuagain adjusted tofindi- 1 guide cate he "dateandj particular form of the 1nekt ntice;andfdiskdcto show the kind or nature 1theinc lofsuresf. In'the `event that ureon disk is mailedto the customer and the rings and Vl1 are their adjusted "jindic'ate 'that` the` neit notice 'to be mailed Vv0111 IQctober 15th, l'and ring 10, is ad- ,.,justed to' indicatethe kindY or particular 1 formioffnotice mailed on October 15th, and a colorinv diskl6`, "is adjusted to indicate the kind o r"`n` rture off'inclosures to be mailed [on October"l5th,lin the eventthatpayment is, notkreceived before the date indicated on l thesignal;

Of course, numerous modifications and vother uses of the device 'embodying my inventi'on will readily suggest themselves to `:those familiar with thenecessityof'my de- 1 vice. :.[fhave described land'- illustrated but preferred lform of"my invention, and

"therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted',V otherwise "than necessitated by the prior art. I "Lclaim as my invention:

j Ina device of the class described, a face 'plate 'provided' with" a radial" slot, a back plate having tongues struck therefrom adapted to pass throughpslots in said face 1 """ndic'at'ethe' kinder nature of the 9 n n'clfo uresito' b e'sent. Asfindic'ated by the members 6, 10, 11 and 12 whenfsaid'mern bers are in adjusted position..` Th'ef face plate 5 is also provided with a peripheral 'plate vand to-be bent into locking engagewhen in adjusted position to display aseries ment with the outer face thereof, and havof characters in vertical alinement. ing a plurality of spaced struck-up bear- In testimony whereof I have hereunto ing members Acontacting with the inner face subscribedimy name in the presence of two 5 of saig faceplztedto hold ghe same dspceg subscribing Witnesses.

a pre etermine istance rom sai ac l plate, and a 'series of independently adjust- MACK KAY HIGGINBOTTOM' able concentric characteristically marked Witnesses: rings journaled between the struck-up bear-` CHARLES W. HILLS, Jr., 10 ing membersfon said back plate and adapted LAWRENCE Rnis'rEIN.

Copies of this ipatent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

-Waah1nton, D; c!! 

